TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — The India-Taipei Association (ITA) celebrated India’s Republic Day with a commemorative event held at Taipei’s Grand Hyatt hotel on Thursday (Jan. 27).
The event featured an array of Indian dishes and a traditional dance performance, with Taiwan Foreign Minister Joseph Wu (吳釗燮), Deputy Foreign Minister Tien Chung-kwang (田中光), Deputy Minister of Economic Affairs Chen Chern-chyi (陳正祺), Presidential Office senior advisor Yao Chia-wen 姚嘉文, and other business, political, and diplomatic VIPs in attendance.
In his opening remarks, ITA Director-General Gourangalal Das said India became a pioneer of democracy by being the first newly created country to have universal suffrage for its citizens. “More than 70 years of history have made the 1.3 billion Indians cherish the value of democracy,” he said.
Das added that Indians are proud to be the largest democracy in the world. Therefore, “we are deeply honored to share the joy of India's National Day with Taiwan, another young and dynamic democracy in Asia,” he said.
The ITA director-general pointed out that despite pandemic challenges, bilateral trade growth between Taiwan and India reached a new high last year. “We are pleased with the new growth in mutual investment and business partnership between the two sides.”
Das thanked Taiwanese for standing by and supporting the Indian diaspora and said he looked forward to more opportunities to work together in the near future.
Indian dancers. (Taiwan News, Kelvin Chen photo)
Wu extended congratulations to the government and people of India and said that Taiwan and India have seen significant progress in bilateral relations. He noted that bilateral trade in 2021 reached US$7.7 billion (NT$214.29 billion), which was 64% higher than in 2020.
The foreign minister said that Taiwan and India share the universal values of freedom, respect for human rights, and upholding the rule of law. “By working together with trustworthy like-minded partners, I have every confidence that our democratic supply chain will provide everyone with a more sustainable and uninterrupted lifestyle.”
Wu also said the two countries have been united in the fight against the COVID 19 pandemic, demonstrating that “a friend in need is a friend indeed.” He added that through further cooperation, Taiwan and India will overcome challenges and contribute to regional peace, stability, and the rules-based international order.
(Taiwan News, Kelvin Chen photo)
